Melting-furnace and process of using the same.



W. M. CARR & c. H. SPBBR. MELTING FURNACE AND PROGESS OF USING THE SAME.

' APPLICATION FILED NOVQZ, 1908.

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W. M. CARR & 0. H. SPEER. MELTING FURNACE AND PROGE$S OF USING THE SAME.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 2, 1908.

Patented Oct. 12, 1909.

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W. M. CARR & G. H. SPEER. MELTING FURNACE AND PROCESS OF USING THE SAME.

" LIOATIOII FILED NOV. 2, 1908.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

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IELTING-FUBNLCE AND PBOCESS OF USING THE SAME.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 2, 1908. Serial No. 460,752.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, VILLIAM M. 'CARR and CHARLES H. SPEER, citizens bf the UnitedStates, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, and at Chester, in the county of Delaware and State of Pennsylvania, respectively, have invented certain new and useful Improve ments in Melting-Furnaces and Processes of Using Same, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to melting furnaces and processes of using same; and it embraces afurnace chamber having walls of refractory material with roof and hearth approaching within efiective' radiating dis tance of each other, said chamber havin preferably a shape circular or nearly circular in section to increase radiative effect, and direct connected regenerative firing means for such chamber adapted to pro duce therein a uniformly mixed body of superheated flame, said chamber and said means being so relatively shaped proportioned and arranged as to allow the production of a substantially' unstrat-ified flame mass within said chamber, said flame mass being within radiative reach of said refractory walls at all points and in a state of uniform combustion therein, and said chamber being further preferably made detachable. movable and portable; and it also comprises a method of melting metals and like substances which embraces producing within substantial contact with the same a superheated flame burning with substantial uniformity in all planes from combustible burning with the aid of regeneratively heated air, all points in said flame being within efl'ective radiative reach of super heated refractory material; all as more fully hereinafter set forth and as claimed.

In the ordinary methods, of melting highmelting metals, such as steel, and melting other high-melting materials, such as glass, it is common in the art to melt them in a reversing furnace, that is, a furnace provided at either end with regenerative means and having the flame produced alternately at the two ends, waste gases being alternatelywithdrawn' through the regenerative means at the other end. This device has .a number of very important advantages, one being that the flame temperature within. the furnace .55 chamber may be raised to almost any de- Patented Oct. 12,

ee short of the dissociating point of car-' I on dioxid, the heat employed in heating up the nitrogen of air being restored to the flame. invariably of large dimensions, itbeing the current opinion in the art; that smaller di- In a ton however, an error, due to a misappreheh sion of conditions and experiments upon furnace chambers but a little smaller than those of the 5-ton furnaces. any catalytic, flame-promoting influence of the refractory material of the chamber walls, and this is very important in this type of furnace, the rapidity of combustion is in large measure dependent on the radiation from such walls, and combustion velocity and degree of temperature attained are inte'rde pendent. Radiation however diminishes Aside from The chambers in these furnaces are the square of the distance, and, for this purpose in combustion-acceleration, becomes unimportant at a distance of a couple of feet. Practically therefore 1n these large furnace chambers, the quick hot combustion takes.

place mainly in the layers next the roof. and a relatively long distance of travel of the flame is required under these conditions to complete the combustion within the furnace chamber of the underlying layers. In a thick-stream of flame, such as occurs in these relatively large-furnace chambers, since the hot flame layer and superheated products of combustion hug the roof, there is a positive resistance to vortical movements in the flame mass which would bring the underlying layers within the effective (for this purpose) radiating distance of the roof or within contact with the refractory materials. The result is thatunderlying layers are Stratified and non-uniform and though they are usually burning, considered as a whole, the burning is relatively slow and requires a long path of travel for complete combustion. This is the ,main reason for the ordinary long furnace chamber; which must be long enough for the irregular combustion under these conditions to complete itself. *In the long chamber top and bottom layers .will ultimatelymix' to a large extent, but, neglecting 'thisr'nixtu're for themoment, it may be said that in the ordinary type of furnace the top layers of flame must be given too long a path of travel in order to accommodate the lower layers. In the uppermost, layers, combustion is practically complete long before combustion is intensein the lower. In the effort to counteract these results, it is customary to use a relatively large'excess of air over that theoretically necessary for the combustible, an excess much accelerating combusstratification. The gross result in one of these large furnaces is the production of asheet of quick-burning, intensely hot flame next the roof while in lower layers of the tion; This however results in increased flaming mass, or those filling the barrel of the furnace, combustion is somewhat delayed. This is one of the reasons for the 'beliefithat'relatively large furnaces giving a comparatively long length of flame travel are necessary since, undertheco'nditions, if

i sidered as a whole, to produce sufficient com-.

the .furnace chamber Within the small, hot-' I the furnace chamber were short not enough time would be given the flame current conbustion within the chamber and part or most of the combustion would take place beyond walled passages offered by the spaces in the .regenerator checker-Works. In other words,

'- it is believed that the large furnace chamber is necessary to afford length of travel and the time factor for combustion.

35 the conditions in the furnace chamber so that lief however is not correct. By rearranging the flame mass, or gas mass, is at no point further than a foot or so from a heated surface, or, in other words, is. within efiiective radiative reach of such surface, new conditions are afforded so that not only can comparatively small furnace chambers be heated efficiently, but in such chambers the flame can beof a different type, producing a higher average temperature within such chamber and a much greater efficiency per unit of combustible employed. In such a chamber. great length 15 not necessary and is disadvantageous, slnce it is not necessary .-to retain the gas mass in the furnace chamber after combust1on ceases. considered that ill furnaces of this type,

It is usually economy increases with the size, there being a less area of exposed and air-cooled wall per cubic foot of chamber in a large than in a small furnace. But where in a large regenerative furnace it is considered good practice to melt a ton of steel with 35 to 40 gallons of a'fuel oil, in thestated r arranged This bebe easily attained with a less quantity of the same'fuel in spite of the increased ratio of outer, heat-dissipating surface per cubic foot of contaiuedflamechamber afforded in such a small furnace. This difference is probably due to the quickened combustion and less excess of air in the peculiar flame within the chamber. Other reasons for these novel results probably are that in the smaller furnacewith every portion of the hearth chamber within effectiveradiative reach of roof, walls or hearth (the hearth here acting as flame-promoting wall) and with a smaller flame body permitting vorticalmovements to bring the flaming gases into effective contact with the superheated refractory material (within, or in contact with, the roughened surface of which intense combustion takes place), the flame becomes much more homogeneous and manageable, burning substantially uniformly throughout and with a velocity greatly in excess of that prevailing in any stratum save the uppermost of the ordinary regenerated flame, and the combustion taking place in, or practically in, con- .tact with the materials being heated in lieu of being more or less spaced away therefrom.

This velocity under theseconditions is so great that length of chamber is not advanta-.. geous and the chamber need be not much greater in length than cross-section, and it is not ordinarily advantageous to make it more than a small fraction greater in length than diameter.. And with this accelerated combustion, it is not necessary or advantageous to use the customary large excess of air, so that the flame is not diluted or stratifled thereby.

In producing these results, the form of the furnace chamber may be as desired so long as the flame body is not at any point brought out of effective radiating distance of the refractory walls; but a chamber of circular or approximately circular shape (the roof at least being curved and free from-pockets which would lead to pocketing of gases and to spacing away of the radiating surface from the flame surface) is preferable as this form gives a right-line radiation toward the hearth or the axis, which axis may be the level of the hearth or of metal thereon. Very conveniently, the whole chamber may be of circular or rectangular section (the former being pref-.

erable) and tubular with a central dishing at the bottom or hearth side; and at the tapping or discharge side it may be dished toform a reservoir for the metal of greater depth than the bottom .to change the position of the'metal, during tapping and pouring, shortening the surface and increasing the depth. The side dishing will facilitate pouring as the metal will discharge faster.

Apart from the novel-heating results obtained or made possible with this type of furnace, anumber of distinct advantages are'obtainahle The device being at once a combined melting chamber and, because of its small size, practically; a ladle,' can be used for small castings and similar purposes ins way hardly practicable with present d8V1CGS., In making small castings of, say, 5 pounds or smaller, it is hardly feasi ble to turn them out by ordinary openhearth methods since small quantities of steel will not. retain-heatenough to permit transfer or transportation and they are therefore generally produced either from crucible melts or side-blown converters; both of which are costly and inconvenient, thev The present furnace chamber being small and manageable may readily be used both as a furnace and as a ladle, it being practicable to adapt such a chamber both to handling as a ladle and to transportation as such, making it movable with regard to the firing. means and .detachable from the In pouring, stopper means may be placed in position during the heating and prior to discharging. and become heated, thereby avoiding the chilling incident to the use of similar means with the ordinary ladle. As the furnace chamber maintains its initial heat during manipulation and as there need be no transference of molten metal,

the ordinary ladle-chilling is also avoided.

In making the furnace chamber movable and transportable per se, adapting it for use. as a transportable ladle, a plurality of chambers may be employed with the same regenerative devices, so that when a charge ofmetal is melted in one chamber and the chamber taken to a point of use, another chamber maybe at once "substituted and heating resumed. In making steel castings, it is frequently not convenient or permissible to have the molds near the'melting furnaces,and it is desirable to have the chamber transportable to the point of use for the molten metal.

In using the-described chamber as a ladle,

it is obvious that the ordinary diiiiculties' such as freezing [and skulling: caused by the use of relatively .cold ladlesor by the use of relatively cold stopper fittings in bottompour ladlesf are obviated. The furnace chamber. as stated, retainfs its initial heat. And in lip-pouring,"su Bl'il'lltflllli slag upon the steel does'not become entangled'by, or entrained with, the stream of poured steel.

Another advantage of this device, is that the Whole apparatus, including the heating means, may be conveniently made sectional and transportable, the furnace chamber forming one section, the checkers other sections, and connecting and accessory elements forming still other sections. Each such section may be made of steel containers; fitted and lined if desired, atthe factory before shipment to a point of use;-or lined at such "point of use. The several sections may be readily assembled and dis-assembled.

In the accompanying illustration are shown, more or less diagrammatically, certain embodiments of the described apparatus, such apparatus being susceptible of use in the described method of combustion.

In this showing, Figure 1 shows a central vertical section of a furnace chamber and end attachments, the downtake fines leading to regenerator checks being broken away; Fig. 2 is-a central transverse section taken through the chamber (in line .rr.r-, Fig. 1. showing the chamber in melting position; Fig. 3 is a detail fragmentary view showing the chamber withan attached pouring lip; Fig. 4 is a view of the furnace chamber detached and ready for use as a transportable ladle; Fig. 5 is an end View of the furnace chamber (part being broken away) in tappingi position; and Fig. 6 shows a plan view of the complete apparatus in detachable sections.

In this showing (see Fig. 1) 1 represents a tilting or revoluble chamber body having a barrel-like shape. and, as shown. of dimensions similar to what might be rated as a 750 pound furnace, having a diameter of a couple of feet orless and a slightly greater lengtln In the melting position the roof should be free of pockets and beof such shape and proportions as to permit direct radiation from all points in said roof into the flaming current. It is open at either end and connnunicatcs directly with passages 2 and 2, opening into downlako lines 3 and 3. These downtakcs communicate with checkers i and i see Fig. ('3). which in turn communicate with line leading to a stack (not shown). In. this apparatus, as shown, firing is by oil jets entering through ports 6 and (3 and the checkers are single. being used for air-heating alone. The structure can of course be modified for gas firing by adding duplicate checkers in -a well understood way, but the structure shown is simple and possesses a number of important advantages, firing with oil or powdered fuel being better adapted for present purposes than gas firing. As shown, these ports are set at an angle which permits the oil jets to pierce through the column of heated air from the checker and produce a well-mixed tion of a stratified gas mass.

flame body, opposing the tendency of the flame to rise and hug the roof with produc- Using but a slight-excess of air over that theoretically necessary and using regeneratively heated air of almost the same temperature as the flame, it is not ditlicult to produce the desired well-blended flame mass free of stratifications.

This furnace chamber as shown being adapted to be used as a ladle as well, is provided with a stopper rod 7 protected by refractory material, such as fire-clay, applied as sleeve 7 and operated bygooseneck 8, keyed into guide mechanism 8 (see Fig. 2) and closing nozzle 9 bymeans of stopper 15. Element 8,f as shown, is provided with .f a tapered end directly engaging a corre-.'

sponding sleeve 22 provided-with setscrew 21 and traveling in guide way in element 8.v Lever mechanism 19 pivoted at 18 isadapted to cause this sleeve to travel back and forth. on the opposite side of the chamber is a charging door 10 through which the stopper rod operates. This mechanism.v though particularly adapted to the present type of furnace, may be used on others. Ele- -ments 11 and 11 are temporary closures,

intended toprevent loss of heat, to be swung in detachable, portable sections, the down.

,take flues may be separated from the checkers at the flange line A A; the checkers separated from the chamber 16 for reversing valves (not shown), at flange line B-B,

and this chamber in turn separated from the stack flue along line C-G. With a small furnace handling'500 ounds' to' a ton of steel at a melt each of t ese sections may be made of comparatively easily transportable dimensions when detachable along the lines indicated.

In Fig.- 3, the furnace chamber is shown provided with a pouring lip17.

The furnace chamber may be acid or basic lined, or provided with any of the ordinary linings of refractory materials. It, as well as other elements, may be made of metallic casings, lined either at the'factory or at the point of use, as may bemost convenient. In using the furnace chamber shown, it is revolved to bring the outlet in the position shown in Fig. 2 and charged through the opposite charging door. treatment of the charge, the chamber may be tilted or revolved to bring the outlet in After fusion or the tapping position shown in Fig. 5 and the contents discharged into molds or other containers." Or it may be picked up by a crane and taken to a point where fluid metal is desired, the lifting with the crane rolling the furnace chamber over to pouring position. During such transportation, closures .11 and 11 are desirable to retain heat.

When one furnace chamber is removed to act as a ladle, or for other purposes, another and duplicate chamber can be quickly placed in position, and theeoperation resumed with but a momentary loss of time. During the absence of a furnace chamber, it is desirable to use closures 13 and 13 .to prevent loss of heat. I

In operating a furnace chamber of the dimensions stated, a well mixed body of fuel and admixed air coming from the regenerator temporarily in heat-discharging phaseenters the chamber at one end as a tolerably homogeneous body of flame. No space is allowed in the chamber for stratification. 1 The air, which will be intensely superheated by the rege'nerator, should not be in amount much more than is suflicient to produce combustion with the fuel, and the fuel supply is preferably arranged, as with the ports shown, to produce intimate mix ture at once; whereby stratification of the flame is prevented. \Vith any marked excess of air, such as it is necessary to use in the usual types of flame, it is diflicult to avoid stratification. In such a flame body combustible and oxidant will be incontact throughout, and will burn together completely in passing slowly through the furnace chamber, with every portion of the body within effective rad1a-ting distance of the superheated walls and (there being no distinctoverlyin flaming layer) with every portion of the ame mass afforded opportunity to pass near to, or in contact with, such walls. In the preferred. embodiment of this invention, no portion of the flame .mass will be more than a foot or so away from a radiating roof, wall or sole. Under these conditions, combustion is extraordinarily quickened and with the high air temeratures afforded by the regenerators, comustion is practically complete in a path of travel 0 3 or 4 feet; aflording within the chamber not only'higher temperatures than ordinary but a maximum utilization of'heat. The flame is practically in contact with the material being treated in lieu of being spaced away therefrom as in furnaces having a roof removed a greater distance above the hearth.

Inthe present mode of operation, finely divided fuel is intimately disseminated throughout a body of intensely heated air, this air being, after the regenerators heat up, not much below the flame temperature so that there is little tendency for the flam- .ing combustible to rise up as-a distinct,

stratum while the absence of marked excess of air further tends to diminish the tendency to stratification. The oil or other fuel being at once gasified by the intense temperature of the air into which it is projected, there is formed a mixture which is, 1n a way, like the combustible mixture-in a gas englne, ready for a quick combustion throughout its mass with substantially uniform burning rate at all points.- Passing this mass within the effective radiative reach of hot refractory walls at all points within .fuel and regeneratively heated air to suchchamber, whereby a'substantially unstratified and homo eneous quickly-burning flame is produced therein.

2. A ladle furnace comprising a transport able short and narrow, furnace. chamber having refractorywalls, within eflective radiative reach of all points within such chamber and having apair of flame ports, stationaryregeneratively supplied flame producing means adapted fer direct engagement and disengagement with each such port, means 'for rocking the chamber and means for trans porting the chamber. 7

8. A ladle furnace comprising a transportable short and narrow tubular ladle chamber having a central dishing and. having flame ports at each end, such chamber having refractory walls within 'eflective radiative reach of all points within such chamber, stationary regeneratively supplied flame producing means adapted for direct engagement and disengagement with each such port, and means for transporting the chamber.

4. In a ladle furnace, a transportable ladle chamber having ports adapted to engage with stationary regenerative firing means and closures adapted to engage said ports when said chamber is not in position. I

5. In a ladle furnace, a transportable tubular furnace ladle having open ends adapted to engage with stationary regenerative firing means and closures adapted to close saidend's' when said chamber is not in suchengagement. 7

6. I11 a ladle furnace, a pair of stationary regenerative firing devices adapted to engage ports in a removable ladle chamber and closures adapted to close the engaging elements thereof upon removal of such ladle chamber.

7. In a furnace, a furnacechamber provided with opposite charging and discharging apertures, a stopper rod extending,

. en a e the discharging for rzciprocating said r0 and stopper into and out of engagement with said discharging th oug the charging ape tur an earnin a stopper adapted to close the discharging aperture and means mounted on said cham her for operating said rod."

8.' In a tilting furnace, a furnace chamber provided with opposite charging and discharging apertures, a stopper rod extending through the charging aperture and carrying a stopper adapted to;close the discharging aperture and lever controlled means mounted on the casing adapted to reciprocate said rod and stopper into and out of engagement with said discharging aperture.

9. In a ladle furnace, a rcckable tubular ladle chamber provided with opposite charge ing and discharging apertures, firing means for producing flame within said chamber, a stopper rod extending through the charging aperture and carrying a stopper adapted to engage the. discharging aperture and means mounted on the chamber adapted to reciprocate said rod and stopper into and out of engagement. with said discharging aperture. I 10. In a ladle furnace, a rockable tubular ladle chamber provided with opposite charging and discharging apertures, firing means for producing flame within said chamber, a stopper rod extending through the chargingand carrying a stopper adapted to and means aperture.

11. In a regenerative short and narrow furnace, a furnace chamber having refractory walls within effective radiative reach of all points within such chamber andprovided with a pair or ports, regenerative airheating means directly engaging each-such port and means for directing a piercing et of fine fuel downward through regenerated air-entering such a port.

12. In a regeneratlve furnace, a short and narrow tubular furnace chamber having refractory walls within effective radiative reach of all points within such chamber and having opposite open ends, regenerative airheating means directly engaging such ends and means for directing a piercing jet of fine fuel downward through regenerated air en-' tering such an open end.

13. In a regenerative ladle furnace, a transportable tubular furnace chamber having refractory walls within eflective radiative reach of all points within such chamber and having opposite open ends, regenerative air-heating means engaging such open ends, means for directing a piercing jet of fine fuel vthrough regenerated. air entering such an open end, means for-rocking said chamber, means for transporting said chamber, a jacketed stopper rod passing through said chamber and carrying a stopper adapted to engage-a discharging aperture on one side of. said chamber, and means for reciprocating said rod and stopper into and out of engagement with the discharging aperture.

'14:.' In a transportable regenerative fur-- pair of flanged ports, adapted respectively for engagement with such a downtake flue and with a reversing valve casing, and a reversing valve casing having flanged ports adapted for engagement with said checkerwork casings .and with a chimney flue.

15. The .process of heating a reverberatory furnace which comprises producing a comparatively narrow, homogeneous and unstratified flowing current of an intimately ir'iom'mingled mixture of finely divided fuel with intensely heated air in substantially the sp'roportion' required for complete combustion of such fuel, said current being in a state of combustion throughoutits mass, and passing said current through -a heated refracto'ry-walle'd region having heated refractory material within effective radiative reach of every point insaid current to produce a high-,

metal within a reverberatory-roofed chamber within close proximity to the roof, producing a comparatively narrow, homogeneous and unstratified flowing current of an intimately commingled mixture of'finely divided fuel with intensely heated air in substantially the proportion required to complete the combustion of the fuel, said current being in a state of combustion throughout its mass, and causing said current to positively fill all the space between said metal and said robf whereby every ortion of said current will be exposed to e ective combustion-accelerating radiation either from roof or high-melting metal and a high-speed combustion effected therein.

In testimony whereof, we aflix our signatures in the presence of witnesses.

WILLIAM M. CARR. CHARLES H. SPEER. Witnesses:

CHARLES G. NEAL, GEO. D. IRoNs. 

